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As translators, you can best use the ULB and UDB if you remember the following differences between the ULB and UDB, and if you learn how the target language can best deal with the issues that these differences represent.
Order of Ideas
The ULB tries to present ideas in the same order as they appear in the source text.
The UDB tries to present ideas in an order that is more natural in English, or that follows the order of logic or the order of sequence in time.
When you translate, you should put ideas into an order that is natural in the target language. (see Order of Events)
1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, and set apart for the gospel of God...7 This letter is to all who are in Rome, the beloved of God. (Romans 1:1,7 ULB)
1 I, Paul, who serve Christ Jesus, am writing this letter to all of you believers in the city of Rome. (Romans 1:1 UDB)
The ULB shows Paul's style of beginning his letters. He does not say who his audience is until verse 7. However, the UDB follows a style that is much more natural in English and many other languages today.
Implied Information
The ULB often presents ideas that imply or assume other ideas that are important for the reader to understand.
The UDB often makes those other ideas explicit. The UDB does this in order to remind you that you should perhaps do the same in your translation if you think that your audience will need to know this information in order to understand the text.
When you translate, you should decide which of these implied ideas would be understood by your audience without being included. If your audience understands these ideas without including them in the text, then you do not need to make those ideas explicit. Remember also that you might even offend your audience if you needlessly present implied ideas that they would understand anyway. (see Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid, because from now on you will catch men." (Luke 5:10 ULB)
But Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid! Until now you gathered in fish, but from now on you will gather in people to become my disciples." (Luke 5:10 UDB)
Here the UDB reminds the reader that Simon was a fisherman by trade. It also makes clear the similarity that Jesus was drawing between Simon's previous work and his future work. In addition, the UDB makes it clear why Jesus wanted Simon to "catch men" (ULB), that is, to lead them "to become my disciples" (UDB).
When he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, saying, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." (Luke 5:12 ULB)
When he saw Jesus, he bowed down to the ground in front of him and pleaded with him, "Lord, please heal me, because you are able to heal me if you are willing!" (Luke 5:12 UDB)
Here the UDB makes it clear that the man who had leprosy did not fall to the ground by accident. Instead, he deliberately bowed down to the ground. Also, the UDB makes it clear that he is asking Jesus to heal him. In the ULB, he only implies this request.
Symbolic Actions
Definition - A symbolic action is something that someone does in order to express a certain idea.
The ULB often simply presents the symbolic action with no explanation of what it means. The UDB often presents the meaning expressed by the symbolic action as well.
When you translate, you should decide whether your audience will correctly understand a symbolic action. If your audience will not understand, then you should do as the UDB does. (see Symbolic Action)
The high priest tore his garments (Mark 14:63 ULB)
In response to Jesus' words, the high priest was so shocked that he tore his outer garment. (Mark 14:63 UDB)
Here the UDB makes it clear that it was not by accident that the high priest tore his garment. It also makes clear that it was probably only his outer garment that he tore, and that he did so because he wanted to show that he was sad or angry or both.
Because the high priest actually tore his garment, the UDB must, of course, say that he did. However, if a symbolic action never actually took place, you do not have to state that action. Here is such an example:
Present that to your governor; will he accept you or will he lift up your face?" (Malachi 1:8 ULB)
You would not dare to offer such gifts to your own governor! You know that he would not take them. You know that he would be displeased with you and would not welcome you! (Malachi 1:8 UDB)
Here the symbolic action "lift up someone's face," represented in this way in the ULB, is presented only as its meaning in the UDB: "he would be displeased with you and would not welcome you." It can be presented in this way because Malachi is not actually referring to a particular event that actually took place. He is only referring to the idea represented by that event.
Passive Verb Forms
Both Biblical Hebrew and Greek often use passive verb forms, while many other languages do not have that possibility. The ULB tries to use passive verb forms when the original languages use them. However, the UDB usually does not use these passive verb forms. As a result, the UDB restructures many phrases.
When you translate, you must decide whether the target language can present events or states using a passive expression, as in the following examples. If you cannot use a passive verb form in a particular context, then you may find in the UDB one possible way to restructure the phrase. (see Active or Passive)
Examples from the Bible
For he was amazed, and all who were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken. (Luke 5:9 ULB)
He said this because he marveled at the huge number of fish that they had caught. All the men who were with him also marveled. (Luke 5:9 UDB)
Here the UDB uses a verb in the active voice "he marveled" instead of the ULB's verb in the passive voice "was amazed."
Large crowds of people came together to hear him teach and to be healed of their sicknesses. (Luke 5:15 ULB)
The result was that large crowds came to Jesus to hear him teach and to have him heal them from their sicknesses. (Luke 5:15 UDB)
Here the UDB avoids the ULB's passive verb form "to be healed." It does this by restructuring the phrase. It says who the healer is: "to have him [Jesus] heal them."
Metaphors and Other Figures of Speech
Definition - The ULB tries to represent the figures of speech found in the biblical texts as closely as possible.
The UDB often presents the meaning of these ideas in other ways.
When you translate, you will have to decide whether the target language readers will understand a figure of speech with little effort, with some effort, or not at all. If they have to make a great effort to understand, or if they do not understand at all, you will have to present the essential meaning of the figure of speech using other words.
He has made you rich in every way, in all speech and with all knowledge. (1 Corinthians 1:5 ULB)
Christ has given you so many things. He helped you to speak his truth and to know God. (1 Corinthians 1:5 UDB)
Paul uses a metaphor of material wealth, expressed in the word "rich." Even though he immediately explains what he means "in all speech and with all knowledge," some readers might not understand. The UDB presents the idea in a different way, without using the metaphor of material wealth. (see Metaphor)
I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, (Matthew 10:16 ULB)
When I send you out, you will be as defenseless as sheep, among people who are as dangerous as wolves. (Matthew 10:16 UDB)
Jesus uses a simile that compares his apostles going to others as sheep going out among wolves. Some readers might not understand how the apostles would be like sheep while the other people would be like wolves. The UDB clarifies that the apostles would be defenseless, and that their enemies would be dangerous. (see Simile)
You are separated from Christ, all you who are "justified" by the law. You have fallen away from grace. (Galatians 5:4 ULB)
If you expect God to declare you good in his sight because you try to keep the law, you have separated yourself from Christ; God will no longer act kindly toward you. (Galatians 5:4 UDB)
Paul uses irony when he refers to them as being justified by the law. He had already taught them that no one can be justified by the law. The ULB uses quote marks around "justified" to show that Paul did not really believe that they were justified by the law. The UDB translates the same idea by making it clear that it was what the other people believed. (see Irony)
Abstract Expressions
The ULB often uses abstract nouns, adjectives, and other parts of speech, because it tries to closely resemble the biblical texts. The UDB tries not to use such abstract expressions, because many languages do not use abstract expressions.
When you translate, you will have to decide how the target language prefers to present these ideas. (see Abstract Nouns)
He has made you rich in every way, in all speech and with all knowledge. (1 Corinthians 1:5 ULB)
Christ has given you so many things. He helped you to speak his truth and to know God. (1 Corinthians 1:5 UDB)
Here the ULB expressions "all speech" and "all knowledge" are abstract noun expressions. One problem with them is that readers might not know who is supposed to do the speaking and what they are to speak, or who is doing the knowing and what it is that they know. The UDB answers these questions.
Conclusion
In summary, the ULB will help you translate because it can help you understand to a great degree what form the original biblical texts have. The UDB can help you translate because it can help make the ULB text's meaning clear, and also because it can give you various possible ways to make the ideas in the biblical text clear in your own translation.